From Virat to Dravid – A look at the highest run-scorers for Royal Challengers Bangalore over the years

The shortest format of the game has always been a batter’s paradise and when your team boasts of the name of Chris Gayle, it is needless to say that the paradise has a God in it too. With the likes of Chris Gayle, ABD, and Virat Kohli in their ranks for years, the 12th Man Army has never been disappointed with the runs scored.

In this short story, we will bring you the top five run-scorers for Royal Challengers of all time. Fasten your seat belts for the forecast predicts heavy showers of memories with a couple of cricket balls smashing your windshield if you are driving close to Chinnaswamy.

Virat Kohli – 6283 runs

Kohli’s free-flowing strokeplay laced with his signature blend of calm and aggression makes him the best in the business. Those turnstile wrists, that hunger in his eyes, and a constant tenacity to lead the Challengers to excellence, Virat Kohli has been RCB’s messiah for a while now. Despite a slow start, he was quick to catch up with the run-scoring fad and once he got a hang of things, he never looked back. His heroics in 2016 almost single-handedly lifted the trophy for the Challengers if not for the rare miss in the grand finale. He is the first one to reach the hallowed milestone of 6000 IPL runs, a blazing ode to the kind of brilliance that he brings to the game.

AB de Villiers – 4491 runs

The former South African biffer, ABD ranks second in this list. There is not a single bowler that has not incurred his wrath and his 360-degree strikes would leave the opponents reeling in agony. From those colossal launches beyond the ropes to those superhuman catches, the man could even single-handedly bring an alien spaceship down. Before he stepped down from the mantle, he garnered 4491 runs, a rare feat that would put the best to shame.

Chris Gayle – 3163 runs

How can one talk about T20 batting without raving about the Universe Boss who blazed his name across the cricketing firmament in the most bedazzling livery? Chris Gayle had a silent start to his IPL career but as soon as he was picked up by the Royal Challengers Bangalore, a new incarnation manifested, and ever since then, it was nothing less than an onslaught of the bowlers. From 175 not out to 3000 plus runs, Chris Gayle set the bar extremely high.

Jacques Kallis – 1132 runs

The South African legend had quite a few decent knocks to his name before calling it a day in the RCB colors. Despite being a legend of the Test and ODI format, he was quick to get onto the T20 bandwagon and introduce his brand of calculated madness. Once he got the hang of affairs, from there it was simply a leap to the top for the South African all-rounder.

Rahul Dravid – 898 runs

The wall of Indian cricket, once he had his feet on the gas, it was smooth sailing for the former Indian captain. His effortless drives, his effusive strokeplay, and the captain’s far-sight allowed him to play a few decent knocks, helping the Challengers to score important runs in the wee days of the IPL where the team was still to make peace with the curtailed format of the sport.